Living Well With Psoriasis

Jan 30 2017

Psoriasis is an unpredictable and irritating skin disorder in which skin cells multiply faster than usual, causing raised, red plaques covered with white scales. These typically appear on your knees, elbows and scalp, although they can also occur on your palms and soles of your feet. Even if you manage your psoriasis carefully, there are still times when flare-ups may occur. When they do, try these tips to help alleviate them more quickly.

Take an oatmeal bath

There are a variety of over-the-counter oatmeal baths available that can help sooth itchiness and gently loosen scaly skin. You can also make your own oatmeal bath by simply mixing uncooked oatmeal into your bath water.

Catch some rays

Exposure to the sun can help sooth flare-ups. Ultraviolet light helps suppress skin inflammation. Just be careful about getting too much sun, as a sunburn can actually aggravate psoriasis and increase the risk of skin cancer.

Identify triggers

Look for certain environmental factors that trigger a psoriasis flare-up and avoid them as much as possible. When a flare-up does occur, write down when it happened and what you think may have caused it. If you start to see certain patterns, you’re helping to educate yourself on the cause of your outbreaks.

Moisturize the right way

Regularly moisturizing your skin can prevent dryness, itchiness, inflammation and scaling. Right after you get out of a lukewarm bath, apply a rich cream or moisturizer to your damp skin.

Reduce stress

Psoriasis flare-ups tend to happen when people are stressed, although there isn’t an exact correlation between flare-ups and stress. Some good ways to relieve stress include yoga, therapy or hypnosis.

While there isn’t a magic answer for preventing psoriasis, there are some treatment options that can help stave off psoriasis outbreaks. And while home remedies are an effective way to treat mild cases of psoriasis, you should talk to your doctor when flare-ups become more serious.

Are you interested in learning more about the helpful tools to live with psoriasis?